Thank Him
Former Shoves member Charlie Sanders showcases
his talent in solo show
Former
member of the late, lamented Shoves improv group, Charlie Sanders, shines in his
own one-man scripted show, “You’re Welcome,” which gets another encore at the
UCB Theatre Thursday, August 10.
Sanders presents several
boldly deluded and pathetic characters -- a meth-tweaking neighbor obsessed with
pitching outlandish movie ideas, a Papa John’s employee way too taken with his
job, a contender for the world’s fattest man record, a paranoid pot dealer, and
an unprepared performance poet.
His characterizations are
framed by a version of himself as the self-absorbed actor bringing all these
characters to an audience that should be grateful, as he reminds us with his
constant “You’re welcome” refrain.
And we should be, because
Sanders’ transitions are seamless, his characters are inspired, and his show
does not have any lulls. Sanders keeps the moments coming throughout. His
Charles Potamus character, incensed at being passed over for the Guinness Book
of Records, vents a hilarious table-pounding rage that will have you falling off
your own chair.
Amid all the good work in
this show, Sanders also scores another masterful moment as his crystal meth user
spins an outlandish action film plot of time travelers battling Hitler, who has
somehow been transposed to become the enemy in Vietnam. (Imagine what a tweaking
meth user might come up with). This will truly double you over.
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